Friends of the Desert #22

Friends of the Desert E-News Issue #22 March 4, 2004 *A project of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection in Pima County, Arizona*

Please visit our NEW AND IMPROVED website for more information: http://www.sonorandesert.org.

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IN THIS ISSUE: * Special Update on the May 18th Open Space Bond Election * Draft MSCP Released * The Ironwood Forest National Monument Update: La Osa Development * March 13th: Your Support for the SDCP and the Tumacacori Wilderness is Crucial! * Can You Make An Extra Gift this Spring?

* Special Update on the May 18th Open Space Bond Election Pima County has scheduled a bond election for May 18, 2004, including Question 1 that would provide over $170 million for open space protection. This money will go to support the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan by permanently protecting some of the lands identified as most important to the ecological health of our community under this process=97like desert grasslands, old-growth saguaro forests, mesquite bosques, creeks and streams and cottonwood- willow groves. Question 1 will also provide money to protect other lands that have other community values, to preserve our quality of life in the midst of a population growth rate TWICE the national average.

Question 1 is so important for the future of our community, and it is crucial that voters know about this opportunity to protect what’s best about it. The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection is working with other community members as Friends of the Sonoran Desert to promote Question 1. Please visit the Friends website at OpenSpaceBond2004.org for more information on the bond, or to find out how you can help.

REQUEST YOUR EARLY BALLOT NOW! You can request your vote-by-mail ballot now, and can send in your vote as early as April 15th for the May election. Call the Friends of the Sonoran Desert office at (520) 321-1900 to get an application for your vote-by-mail ballot.

* Draft MSCP Released As many of you know, in addition to being a plan for future growth for our community, the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan is being developed by Pima County for the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) because the county needs to address issues related to endangered species.

The element of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan being developed for the USFWS is called the Pima County Multi-Species Conservation Plan, or PCMSCP. This plan is required to specify what species will be targeted for conservation, and how the county intends to achieve the conservation for those species.

* The Ironwood Forest National Monument (IFNM) Update: La Osa Development A new and serious threat to the IFNM has arisen, this time in neighboring Pinal County. A development of approximately 20,000 acres, "La Osa Ranch," has been proposed to the Board of Supervisors. If approved, the full build-out of 150,000 residents would make this development essentially the 8th largest City in Arizona! The proposed development is located within the floodplain of the Santa Cruz River, immediately adjacent to a rich archaeological district within the monument, and within a mile at the furthest from the IFNM boundary to the south and west. Human impacts from a development of this magnitude could have massive negative effects on the natural and cultural resources that the Coalition and others are working hard to protect. In addition to the future impacts from the housing, commercial and resort development, the developer has been actively destroying the desert resources in and around the monument prior to obtaining local, state or federal permits. The damage includes: * Releasing diseased goats into the area around Ragged Top and Silverbell peaks, infecting many of the desert bighorn sheep. The diseases have caused deaths to bighorn sheep in this last known herd in the Tucson area, and so far no lambs have survived this season. * Archaeological artifacts, including human remains, have been unearthed and damaged. * The mesquite bosques of the Santa Cruz River have been cleared and construction has been done on the river at Sasco Road. All of this has been done without permits. While we are pursuing legal action where appropriate, the Pinal County elected and appointed officials continue to support this project. So far, we have successfully delayed this project at the Planning and Zoning Commission level. A hearing, and most likely a vote, on the project is currently scheduled for Thursday, March 18th at 9:00 a.m at the Pinal County Governmental Complex, Building F, in Florence, AZ. The Board of Supervisors will most likely hear the case within a few weeks of the Commission. PLEASE ATTEND THE HEARING IF YOU CAN TO SHOW YOUR OPPOSITION. In particular, Pinal County residents are sorely needed to weigh in. For a thorough story on La Osa Ranch development, and the developer proposing it, please read the news story–with photos–that appeared in the Phoenix New Times Weekly, "Big Bad Developer George Johnson is quickly becoming the most notorious developer in Arizona", http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2004-01-22/feature.html/1/index.html.

* March 13th=97 Your Support for the SDCP and the Tumacacori Wilderness is Crucial! We need your help on Saturday, March 13th to speak up for the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan at the Arizona Game and Fish Commission hearing in Tucson. Pima County will be testifying on the SDCP, and the public will have the opportunity to speak after the official presentation(s) are heard. In addition, representatives for both Sky Island Alliance and Congressman Raul Grijalva will be testifying on the conservation benefits of designating the Tumacacori Highlands as wilderness, which the Coalition has endorsed and is identified in the SDCP.

We expect that the Commission will take action on these items. Please attend the meeting to show your support and encourage the Commission to take a position supporting the SDCP, and Congressman Grijalva’s Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness proposal.

We anticipate a large turnout of anti-environmental forces to attend in opposition to both of these important initiatives and it is crucial that we get enough people in attendance to fill the hearing room.

Please ask to speak!!! Your voice will go a long way in advocating for these critical issues!

* Can You Make An Extra Gift this Spring? No matter how important, timely or vital the Coalition’s work, it doesn’t happen without funding for staff, an office, computers and projectors, newsletters, reports, brochures and other outreach materials, and giving presentations. And there has never been a more important time for the Coalition and the Sonoran Desert than the next few months!

This is why we are asking you, the Coalition’s most committed supporters, to again show your generosity and dedication by making another tax-deductible gift. You can follow this link, http://www.sonorandesert.org/contents/support.html, to go to the website’s donation page, or you can send your donation directly to Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, 300 E University Blvd, Suite 120, Tucson, Arizona 85705. Call us if you have any questions. Thanks!

We all know the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” A recently released Vox video about wildlife crossings demonstrates this. Grab a cup of coffee and take a look at this great introductory video about wildlife crossings, why they are so important, why we should build many more, and how they are cost-effective […]

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June 7, 2017 By Kathleen Kennedy, CSDP Associate Director Did you know that mule deer, pronghorn antelope, and elk migrate hundreds of miles each year in Wyoming? Fairly recently, scientists discovered that various herds of these ungulates migrate every summer and winter. Many of them summer in Yellowstone National Park, then fan out to the north, south, east, and west […]

Do you think we should construct a new interstate in between our treasured Saguaro National Park and Ironwood Forest National Monument? The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highways Administration are currently accepting public comments (deadline is this Friday, June 2!) on proposed corridor alternatives for a new interstate between Nogales and Wickenburg. [Want to read […]

The Coalition is a fiscally sponsored project of Sky Island Alliance, a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions for the purposes of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.